“Hey.” Kai’s knuckles rapped against the door. Stepping inside, he leaned an arm against the bar of an apparatus. “I’m about to order lunch. Do you want anything? And please say yes. I’m under strict orders to make sure you eat.”
“Are you now?” I asked with a sarcastic tone, sitting up as I wiped the sweat from my forehead and slung the white towel over my shoulder. “Derek’s orders?”
He put his hands up defensively. “He means well. He worries about you.”
“A little too much, I see. Listen, I’ve been doing this for a long time. I don’t need—”
“I get that. It’s just…” he paused, as though debating whether to continue speaking, “Derek isn’t the kind of man who worries about other people. His circle is extremely small. Take that how you want.”
Kai had soulful eyes, almost as bright blue as Derek’s. He was handsome, with well-defined muscles like his brother, only leaner. His deep tan suggested he was of mixed heritage, though I couldn’t venture a guess. Unlike Derek, whose expressions and body language were the kind most avoided, there was something about Kai that drew people in. But just like his brother, there lived an edge in those pools of blue.
An hour later, we sat at the breakfast bar. I stabbed at my chicken salad while Kai finished off a cheesesteak.
“He’s okay, you know.”
Had my sulking been that obvious?
I flashed him a half smile. “I know. He said he was on an important business trip. I shouldn’t be worried.”
“But you are.”
I nodded. “I feel like whatever he’s doing involves me somehow, and not in a good way.”
Kai leaned back in his chair. “Look, Eva…”
“I know he’s your brother. And you don’t owe me any loyalty, but I care about him a lot. I don’t want him to do anything stupid because of what happened.”
“Eva, Derek is exactly where he said he would be. Trust me when I tell you that.”
He chose his words carefully, and the ones he wasn’t saying were loud and clear. But there was no cracking Kai. His loyalty to Derek was unshakable.
Could I really fault him for that?
It’s not like I would betray Lex for someone I’d just met, either. But damn, if it wasn’t maddening. And as much as I wanted to trust Derek with the truth behind his whereabouts, I couldn’t shake the feeling of paranoia.
* * *
“Eva!”
The moment I opened the front door, Alexa’s arms were around my neck, nearly choking off my air supply. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t come sooner. I had some meetings I couldn’t get out of—Are you okay?”
Her words were frantic as she gripped my shoulders. “Lex, I’m fine. I saw your messages.”
“TíoFranco called and told me what happened. And I saw it on the news… and thenDerekcalled for help with your stuff. He said I could see you. Are you sure you’re all right?”
I pulled her into a tight hug, quieting her frenzied words. “I am. Promise.”
“Someone tried to murder you, babes. A group of someones. It’s okay to not be okay.” Emotion filled her words, and she squeezed me tighter.
“I know,” I said, my voice on the verge of breaking too.
We held each other for what seemed like hours. And the hug was exactly what I needed—familiar arms and support. But I refused to fall apart again. I needed to be strong for the chaos that awaited me beyond the walls of this house. Strong for Sam, my team, and myself.
A throat cleared behind us. I introduced them, and Kai nodded his greeting—a tighter smile than usual on his face.
“Derek said it was fine.”
“You didn’t look before you opened the door.” There was a bite to his tone he’d never used with me.
